Family Law

Directed by Daniel Burman

A sweet, harmless story of patriarchs and sons, Family Law provides a refreshing take on the typical heartwarming yarn: nobody is dysfunctional. Argentinean writer/director Daniel Burman doesn’t gather heaps of sorrow for the sake of easy drama. Instead, the story remains entirely credible, never forced and fairly universal in scope. The complexity arises from the psychological depth allotted to protagonist Ariel Perelman (Daniel Hendler), a Buenos Aires law professor who divides his time between delivering lectures on witness depositions, romancing his favorite student (Julieta Diaz) while she teaches him Pilates and hanging out with his lawyer father, Bernardo Perelman (Arturo Goetz).

Perelman Jr. provides contemplative narration throughout the story, creating a subjective edge that paints him as a timeless everyman. Burman’s obvious inspiration is François Truffaut, as the bittersweet tale causes our hero to reexamine his life and ultimately make peace with himself, toning down his restless ambition. In a clever twist on the typical marriage drama, Perelman Jr. keeps a secret hidden from his wife, but it isn’t anything of the murderous or unfaithful sort; he’s simply scared to admit that his father helped him resolve a lawsuit that he helped his wife overcome before they married. He seems mostly bothered with feelings of inadequacy in the face of his father’s powerful career, but nowhere do we get a raging monologue where he expresses resentment. Perelman Jr. keeps his emotions to himself, while Burman shows him in scenes of solitude learning to accept his individuality.

When Perelman Jr. becomes a father as well, the movie remains focused on him, rather than the fresh exploits of his toddler son. Many stories have been told about intergenerational yearning, dysfunction and all the meaty disputes inspired by such theatrics, generally with a more epic scope. Burman keeps things simple by sticking to the thought process of one man through a reasonably brief phase of his life, and the character is likable enough to engage anyone except for the most heartless viewer. And by the time court adjourns, even bitter minds might be persuaded to consider self-reevaluation.